Can you put LinkedIn account on hold?

Putting a LinkedIn account on hold is not an option that is directly available on the platform. However, there are a few workarounds that can simulate “putting an account on hold” for those looking to take a break or pause their LinkedIn presence.

Reasons for putting a LinkedIn account on hold

There are several reasons why someone may want to put their LinkedIn account on hold for a period of time, including:

• Job search – If you are happy in your current role and not looking for new job opportunities, you may wish to pause your openness to being contacted by recruiters.
• Career break – If you are taking parental leave, going back to school, taking a sabbatical, or taking time off for other reasons, you may not want to maintain an active presence on LinkedIn during that time.
• Overwhelmed – Keeping up with LinkedIn messages, notifications, and feeds can feel overwhelming. Putting your account on hold allows you to take a break from this.
• Life changes – Major life events like a death in the family, health issues, or other challenges may require stepping back from maintaining your LinkedIn account for a period of emotional recovery.

While LinkedIn does not have an official “pause account” option, there are ways to achieve similar results.

How to put LinkedIn account on hold

Here are a few methods to essentially put your LinkedIn account on hold temporarily:

Change account settings

Adjust your account settings to minimize notifications and limit incoming messages:

• Disable email and push notifications from the app – Go to Settings & Privacy > Notifications to turn these off
• Turn off relationship, event, and topic recommendations – Go to Settings & Privacy > Communications > Show recommendations and toggle these off
• Turn off Open Candidates – Go to Settings & Privacy > Career interests > Open Candidates and disable this
• Disable messages from people you don’t know – Go to Settings & Privacy > Communications > Who can send you messages and select “Only people you follow or are connected to”

Update profile

Make updates to your profile and job settings to indicate you are not open to new opportunities:

• Remove open to work status
• Update headline and about section to indicate you are not looking for jobs or taking messages right now
• Disable “Career Opportunities Preferences” in settings

Remove connections

Prune your connections list to minimize incoming messages and limit visibility:

• Remove recruiters and other non-essential connections
• Cancel pending connection requests

Log out of mobile app

Log out of the LinkedIn mobile app during your break to avoid getting drawn into notifications and messaging.

Disable account

The nuclear option is to temporarily disable your account if you want to take a complete break from LinkedIn. Just know this will:

• Make your profile invisible during disabled period
• Remove you from search results
• Prevent messaging to your account
• Require going through account recovery to reactivate account after disabling period

How long can you put LinkedIn on hold?

There is no official limit for how long you can put your LinkedIn account on hold using the methods above. It depends on your specific needs and situation. Here are some typical durations one may want to put LinkedIn on hold and why:

If fully disabling your account, LinkedIn only allows this for 14 days at a time. However, you can repeatedly disable in 14 day intervals to keep your account disabled for longer periods.

Pros of putting LinkedIn on hold

There are some benefits to temporarily placing your LinkedIn account on hold, including:

• Reduced stress – Taking a break from LinkedIn notifications and messaging can lower social media-induced anxiety and allow greater focus.
• Career clarity – Stepping back may provide clarity about your career path without constant input from recruiters and comparisons to others.
• More time – Less time spent on LinkedIn means more time for family, hobbies, rest, and other priorities.
• Networking reset – Pausing your account allows you to wipe the slate clean and re-engage your network after a break.

Cons of putting LinkedIn on hold

There are also some potential drawbacks to be aware of with putting your LinkedIn on hold, such as:

• Missed opportunities – You may miss out on networking, job prospects, or other opportunities by not having an active presence.
• Stagnant connections – Your network may decay if you pause engagement for too long.
• Professional visibility – Being off LinkedIn can reduce your professional visibility, thought leadership, and personal brand presence.
• Account reactivation – Fully disabling your account means needing to go through LinkedIn’s account recovery process to reactivate.

Alternatives to putting LinkedIn on hold

Other options beyond fully putting your account on hold include:

• Reduce usage – Check LinkedIn less frequently, limit to brief periods like 15 mins a day.
• Clean up connections – Unfollow noisy connections, remove inactive ones, and organize your network.
• LinkedIn Lite app – Use the pared down Lite app on mobile to limit notifications and features.
• Automate responses – Use auto-reply messages and automation tools for common requests.
• List as inactive – Manually update your profile to share you are inactive currently but will re-engage with connections after X date.

Conclusion

While LinkedIn does not have an official “account hold” option, you can essentially accomplish putting your account temporarily on hold in a variety of ways. This can be beneficial if you need to take a career break, reduce anxiety, refocus your priorities, or take a mental health hiatus. Use settings adjustments, profile updates, disabling options, and alternative engagement limits to find the right approach based on your specific needs and duration of your desired break. With some strategic planning, you can hit pause on your LinkedIn presence and reengage on your own terms later on.